baby it's cold outside and windy and rainy on this tur can you day getaway. for thousandses hoping to make it hope for the holidays a massive storm system means delays and cancellations and traffic jams. this is supposed to be the busiest travel day of the entire year. high winds and snow and driving rain and even tornadoes are grounding flights and flooding streets. remember, hanukkah starts tonight. nbc's katy tur at one of the busiest airports and courtney scott are with us now and carl parker, we start with you. how is the forecast looking? >> katy, go ahead. >> reporter: it's okay. it is certainly one of the

bussest days of the year and not a good way to start it off. 2.4 million people will travel by plane, a lot are hopefully in the air right now but there are a lot of delays as we speak. 250 flights have been canceled today. 480 or so delayed, flight aware is saying there are delays in every major airport, that's sfo, lax, d.c., atlanta, chicago o'hare, miami, all of the airports being affected by this. you might wonder why lax is being affected? they are not in the path. storm whatsoever. their outgoing flights may be going somewhere that are affected by the storm. it started off with having very few delays and very few issues as the day has gone on. we've are more cancellations and few more delays ranging from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. laguardia itself hasn't been so bad. the outbound flights have taken off. it's the inbound flights have

issues. an hour delays here at laguardia, and two hours for philadelphia. it's certainly hard getting in there right now. atlanta is seeing a number of delays. so far travelers have been taken it in stride, a lot have getten here early to make flights that aren't delayed. a lot of flights we're seeing aren't having so much troubles as of now. the airlines have let them know their flight is canceled so they stayed home. a lot of new technologies allowing people to not get here and avoid the crowds you might have seen in past years. abby. >> looks like there's a turkey dancing behind you. at least they are entertained by a turkey. watch out for him. a big burly turkey. >> reporter: things are getting kind of weird here and maybe because all of the bars are fully stocked but it's getting odd at the airport. >> i look forward to it.

thank you so much. we appreciate it. >> you're welcome. >> we turn to travelo city's courtney scott. we sent ari to seattle so you can join us at the table. you are much better to look at from my perspective, ari, i still love you by the way. >> wow. >> folks that are maybe missing a connecting flight, what do you say to them? >> if you are stuck in that situation, get on the phone and talk to your carrier and find out what's happening and go online at the same time, look for a voucher code that will allow you to change your flight without dealing with cancellation fees or penalties. you are allowed either the next available flight out which may not be the actual next available flight on the board or a refund. a refund may not be a great situation given you want to see your family at thanksgiving. i also recommend getting up to the ticket counter and getting as much information as you can.

go on twitter and your mobile apps and be as informed as possible so you can make the best decision. >> is twitter helpful on a day like this? are there other travel related apps that people should be looking to? >> there are, twitter today has been an essential resource for travelers trying to find out cancellations and delays and telling friends and family what's been happening. there are apps, for example, flightaway is fantastic. we have been using it to track delays and see what's happening in the air. if you are trying to get a taxi, which we all know on a day like today in new york is impossible. uber, one of my favorite apps and for the holidays, it is clut clutch. it is a transaction free app. >> worth the price. >> when you get into trouble with the airline matrix situation, be nice to the people behind the counter. you think it doesn't matter and

we're the customers and they are supposed to work for us. but they can decide to find something for you or not. if you are extra nice and sweet they might find something for you they won't find for the next person. >> that's right, kill them with kindness. there is flexibility with what any can offer you. you do not have the right to the hotel stay for free. you may have a right to a coupon for a snack. if you rant on twitter about your horrible experience, it's probably not the best route. explain your situation on twitter and may get a better response. >> courtney, i've got a hot scoop from out here in seattle, which is night flight arrived on time last night out of jfk. >> good news. >> that's -- >> breaking, ari gets there on time. >> obviously we have thanksgiving here in the u.s. and this is our big travel day as we've been reporting and everyone is nervous about it. what happens in our countries on their big travel days and holidays. how do we compare? a lot of americans feel it's

tough to travel on a day like today. >> peak travel days are universal, not just limited to domestic travel, internationally we're seeing -- not right now but they are prone to the same kind of travels. airports and tsa are doing everything they can to make your xpirns more pleasant. in fact, we've been seeing great news at tsa, lots of smooth sailing and clear lines. that's good news, people are in the holiday spirit trying to -- live music is happening around the airports and free snack and coffee. everyone is trying to get you home. >> giant turkeys wondering around in costume. >> those turkeys are creepy. >> kind of creepy. >> what about the whole relationship with security and tsa? tour'e was mentioning how important it is to be civil and nice -- >> we have the banner up for you. >> breaking in the control room, ari to seattle on time.

>> it's like we're a news channel. but -- go ahead. >> when it comes to tsa, it's important to be nice and not be the guy in line, get there and be prepared, your boarding pass or smartphone with a digital boarding pass is out, your laptop is out of your luggage and out of the case. in a separate bin. that is something that my pet peeve, people don't remember to do that. and shoes off unless you're under 12, over 75, in the military or part of global entry program. and keep the line moving, that's the key. being swift and get yourself through. >> if you travel all the time and not part of the tsa precheck they they want people to be a part of, you're an amateur. i've joined that thing. you don't have to take off your shoes and get undressed. it is a beautiful thing. you feel so much more relaxed. >> i scoped out tsa precheck lines at laguardia and they were

flying through. >> i'll be there in a few hours, positive news. >> christmas is just around the corner. there have to be lessons we're learning from thanksgiving. people should start planning now for the christmas holiday. >> our travelocity showed last week was the last time best tim for the holidays. go online and book your holiday travel. but there are key learnings that we've taken from thanksgiving. first of all, extra time, extra time. two hours, even though you're the best person and can really breeze through, two hours for domestic, three hours for international. that's the baseline. then it's really important to pack only carry on luggage. i cannot stress this enough. people missed connections and who knows where the luggage went. it's very easy to pack for a long weekend in a carry-on.

>> maybe a dose of patience. >> pack the patience. >> it's tough but -- >> we think about black friday for consumer electronics and those sorts of deals. are there black friday travel days as well on cyber monday? >> this year you're going to see more than ever black friday and cyber monday travel deals launching friday. last year we saw a lot of online travel sites waiting until monday. we're seeing friday is the day they'll launch sales. check out travelocity and look for coupon codes to give you a deeper discount on travel. >> you talk about the airlines and tsa, trying to do their best to give us the best possible experience. airport designers are also trying to do that. there's some airports actually fairly cool if you have to get stuck somewhere, where would you rather get stuck? >> we used to have limited options for dining and shopping and they've come a long way. i love terminal five at jfk,

jetblue terminal. >> very specific. >> it can really vary terminal to terminal. in laguardia, terminal d got this hipster fun makeover recently. >> chicago's o'hare is beautiful. >> charlotte. >> i'll give a plug to salt lake city. >> great architect too. >> it's so great having you, such great tips that will help out so many people that i'm sure need it right now. >> coming up later, a check on what the weather mess means for macy's thanksgiving day parade and what not to talk about at the table, hint, politics. but we of course, will as "the cycle" rolls on for wednesday before thanksgiving. we don't have a crazy uncle on the show, do we? before using her new bank of america credit card, which rewards her for responsibly managing her card balance. before receiving $25

toward her balance each quarter for making more than her minimum payment on time each month. tracey got the bankamericard better balance rewards credit card, which fits nicely with everything else in life she has to balance. that's the benefit of responsibility. apply online or visit a bank of america near you.

♪ it was whispered by slave and abolitionists ♪ ♪ yes we can >> you probably recognize that popular yes we can music video from president obama's 2008 campaign. today it's gotten 25 million youtube views now a strikingly similar deal, this time with iranian speaking and singing word from rouhani speech as

president. ♪ >> no word, of course on whether that was intentional but it does come at the pivotal time in relations between the countries. after 30 years of isolation, iran struck that deal last weekend to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for some temporary sanctions relief. even though it is a temporary step towards a long-term agreement, in congress, skeptical lawmakers think it could be a waste of time. the test of president o bam am's big gamble starts right now. joining us is michael crowley, in geneva with john kerry. how are you? >> great, thanks for having me, ari. >> in your article, one of the

things you report is pretty interesting from a former obama official who worked on iranian issues discussing khomeini he described as a isolated paranoid figure who's convinced the u.s. raises concerns over the nuclear program only as a fig leaf for a hidden goal of regime change. basically a hidden attempt to undermine iranian leadership that we all know in the course of investigation, you don't have to change minds but change behavior. talk to us a little bit about your reporting on the state of mind of khomeini here. >> i've done a fair amount of reporting on it. it's fascinating. i think it's really important that people understand this man who signs off on any deal in iran who is the ultimate authority in that country, he hates the united states and he thinks we're out to get him. i think one reason why, although this is an imperfect deal, president obama deserves credit

for having gotten it. he cut a deal with a guy who really thinks and not without some justification, we're out to get him and that the nuclear issue is a stocking horse for regime change. it has been thrown around washington for years. george w. bush proclaimed iran part of an axis of evil. in tehran, they think america is coming to get us and knock us out of power. for them to do even a partial deal, i think shows you that in particular, these sanctions are really strangling them and saying, we've got to do something to get out from under the sanctions right now, even though we really don't trust the americans. >> khomeini is the decider of course it's nice to see elections do have consequences in iran, rouhani campaigned on his critique of the program and how it led to crippling sanctions and if we would not be here if not for the embrace of

the people's message. >> that's exactly right. the supreme leader has final word but he's not a absolute dictator and doesn't have absolute power. his power is not supreme. his title is supreme, he has the final say but he has to be responsive. there are a lot of different factions in iran and there is a kind of reformist somewhat liberal movement that wants more engagement with the outside world and he is responsive to those people. one thing that the administration is banking on and hoping for here is that if you start to lift sanctions a little bit and give iran a taste of the engangment of the outside word and bring them in from isolation and let them have more commerce and it's nice when the economy isn't dying and people are starting to make money, that those forces of reform will grow and say we want more of this actually. and your death to america stuff is three decades old and we're beyond that. we want to be part of the international community. we want to make money and

want -- it's not worth the trouble to have a bomb. that is part of the bet. the big bet and gamble the president has made. >> that's what your piece focuses on, a president that desperately is in need of some momentum. he's taking a risk with a country not proven itself to be particularly trust worthy. whenever you make a bet, you hope for the best but you also should expect the worst. in this case it can go one way or the other. it could be a positive step towards a legacy accomplishment or seriously wrong. this is maybe a black and white way of looking at it but you're saying that's reality. >> yes, it's a big bet and the best case scenario is wonderful for everyone for america, for iran, for israel and the region. if iran says we don't want a nuclear weapon and you have stability and more pros spert, the worst case is iran finds a way to betray the america and its partners here and they end up building a bomb.

but i do think that it's a bet that is somewhat hedged. the president is not completely trusting iran. there's strict verification here we're going to be putting under a microscope and interim step towards the final deal -- it's not to say thanks for doing the deal and we'll check back with you in six months and make sure you've been behaving. we're watching them day after day. there are conceivably ways they can cheat. it's a problem. it's a risk. no way to rule that out entirely but it is a hedged bet. >> down the road six months from now, it really is a true easing of tensions between the u.s. and iran. how does that shuffle the deck in terms of the middle east more broadly? >> in a lot of complicated ways,

one question will be can -- can benjamin netanyahu be convinced this is working and get a comfort level? if not, what it does is it drives -- it produces an alliance between israel and the gulf states like saudi arabia who also need to have a comfort level and don't trust the deal and don't like it. they start to think america doesn't have our backs anymore. we don't trust iran. we think they are coming to get us and the goal is to have a nuclear bomb at some point. they start conspireing to undermine and perhaps at some point attack iran. the saudis think about getting nuclear weapons and you possibly have the beginning of a nuclear arms race across the region, which is one of the president's biggest fears. people don't talk about this enough. one reason president obama cares so much about this issue, his concern if iran gets a bomb, it's not just the threat to he is israel or u.s. everybody else says we've got to

have our own bomb. we have bombs and nuclear material circulating around the place. >> how much do the tensions regionally actually come down to this divide between sunni and shia? >> well, it's just a fundamental part of the dynamic in the region. it's essential to understanding what's happening and so iran is a shiite nation and states like saudi arabia and united arab emrates are sunni and sunni and shiites have a centuries long religious dispute that manifest itself over and over in extremely violent ways in the region right now. if you look at what's happening in syria, it's largely a sectarian conflict. so that drives a lot of what's happening here, that we're again, the gulf states like saudi arabia, they see iran as a mortal religious enemy. and in some ways those

hostilities are comparable to the way the jewish population of israel feels about iran and they feel they are a religiously oriented threat to them. >> very deeply held beliefs obviously and that's why it's been so intractable for diplomacy. michael, i'm sure -- thanks for being here. >> thanks so much. >> up next, having daughters turn you into a republican? well, family and politics meet at the cycle family gathering when we spin up next.

this afternoon, the first family granted clem entcy to this pair in a time honored tradition started by jfk, two turkeys oned named caramel, the

other named popcorn were saved from being someone's thanksgiving dinner. they'll live at mount vernon estate after a facebook popularity contest, the pardon was given to popcorn. >> darn it. >> thanks for that report, tour'e. >> thanksgiving means travel, you're looking inside the denver international airport. it is busier than normal but they are not facing major delays from the even storm, unlike ohio. lake-effect snow is still an issue. let's go to meteorologist carl parker. how is the forecast looking? >> the storm is winding down, that's the good news, there are lingering problems in the northeast. we'll see more of that over the next several hours. let's look at the radar picture and i'll tell you where we are seeing rain change to snow, what the dynamics associated with the system are beginning to lift out which means we're not going to see terribly heavy precipitation. snow falling in charlottesville

and getting up towards d.c. and baltimore. temperatures are well above freezing, up to near 40 and for that reason we're not going to see much problem on the roads. it does get colder by the time you reach northeastern pennsylvania and parts of new york. that's where we're seeing snow coming down and rain/snow line is going to migrate further east. it's going to be lighter precipitation and we are going to see it change to snow and everything in between rain and snow. while the rain continues for a lot of new england and man was it windy today, a lot of reports of trees down and power lines down in southeastern massachusetts. we're getting lake-effect snow in erie and pennsylvania and prolific band in southwestern michigan. major delays on 94 there. we see lingering lake-effect snows for tonight, the main part of the storm lifts out and it's just going to be cold as we move into the weekend and black friday. guys, back to you.

>> carl, thanks. >> a little more positive than we thought. right now in new york city, the macy's thanksgiving day parade is starting to take shape. the giant balloons are starting to be inflated but the winds might keep some of them grounded tomorrow. jay gray is in the city's upper west side for a first land look. what is the wind speed cut off for flight. >> reporter: good to talk to you and everyone else in the dry, warm studio there. the wind speed for cutoff for the larger balloons is a sustained wind of 27 miles an hour, gusts to 34 miles an hour. we're going to be right on the edge tomorrow. it's rainy out here and the wind has been gusting at times. seems this is as much a tradition as the floats and everything. take a look. you can see people lining up. this is the one place where inflation isn't that bad of a thing. a lot of people come out and want to see the balloons blown up. it's something that will continue through the evening and

early tomorrow morning the balloons line up, won't make the call on whether the big balloons will go until right at game time. we won't know until we get those exact conditions right before the parade starts in the morning, whether a lot of the floats just like snoopy, longest and oldest float -- >> back to you. >> stay warm out there and from the news cycle to the spin cycle, let's do the one thing you're not supposed to do at tomorrow's family gathering, talk politics. according to a new study, having daughters makes parents more likely to be republican. researcher found that compared to those with no daughters, parents of girls are about 14% less likely to be democrats and 11% more likely to call themselves republicans. that's weird. does that mean differences of opinion at the dinner table are a daughter's own doing? let's spin. in my family, i have two sisters

so it's all girls in my family. my dad probably leans more conservative, my mom leans more liberal. it doesn't really hold true in my family. the other thing we've been talking about, if you do get into those political conversations with the crazy tea party uncle, what do you say to them? this year i think it's very convenient because you can just dust off the points from 2010 and when it was first implemented and assure them there's no death panels and obama is not taking grandma away, it's not a government takeover of health care, if you just add in this one factual really be set. there's all of this concern about people receiving cancellation notices. a new study shows only .6% of the population under age of 65 is even at risk of losing their individual plan and paying a higher premium. all of these horror stories we're hearing and anecdotes are just that, it's a very small number of people.

>> there was a ton of churn in that individual market anyway? >> what does the huntsman clan talk about? >> i found that studly really interesting about dads with daughters more plikly to be republican and my dad never had a shot at being a democrat. he had three daughters first. >> he was a republican before he had daughters. >> but he never had obviously any motivation to switch. maybe you will switch when you have a beautiful little girl, tour'e. >> what is one thing multiple daughters have in common? they want to protect them from boy friends or whatever, you got to have a gun close by. republicans are obviously more pro gun. >> my dad is hugely pro gun. >> there's something to that. but as the saying goes, the unholy trinity of conversation topics is avoid, sex, religion and politics. we don't do that at the cycle or the huntsman table. i have a dad that's been in

politics, i've got a sister who is a pianist and sister from china and india, my mom serving a smelly dog under table turkey scraps. we talk about all of them and that's okay. we should avoid this role, so we better respect each other. that's how you learn from one another. >> doesn't have too much to drink before you get into this conversation. >> never know. >> definitely get into big fights with that stuff. some of those big fights are fun, thinking of what to say to the big bad uncle coming at you with talking points that don't mean anything. if you want to protect your daughters, it's actually better to not have a gun in the home, especially for women. they are far more likely to be shot by a gun from an intimate partner than from a stranger, shot and killed by a person they know and love, a relative and friend than a criminal stranger. that upturns that classic argument. one thing that nobody is talking about, which is totally bizarre,

the national homicide rate for 2013 is trending towards the lowest since the beginning of the 20th century. so these ideas about crime run amuck are completely untrue. they want to bring up immigration which comes up a lot after the aca, want to turn to immigration. they deal with these immigrants and undocumented immigrants. 75% of them are paid payroll taxes going to support social security and medicare. they are not takers. they are not takers. they are makers. >> yeah and also obama did not steal the election, he was re-elected. deal with it. thanksgiving, we here at msnbc are reflecting on the many blessings we are thankful for. i'm thankful for my beautiful family and my beautiful new baby low we will and my home state of virginia won't have to suffer for four years of ken cuccinelli. tell us why you're thankful and

visit us on the web, msnbc.com/whyi'mthankful. here's something to talk about with your super conservative uncle, pot. you may have more in common than you think. the new music group that is all the rage, taylor swift, john bon jovi and prince, prince williams that is. ♪ living on a prayer

♪ >> americans are growing more and more open to marijuana reform. those arguing for it are not arguing that more people should

smoke but people should not be criminalized for private health choices. even as they decrease the usage of the sticky icky, it is possible for republicans to follow the lead of libertarians and expand their tent by arguing in favor of decriminalization. our next guess, says, yeah, mon, matt, i understand the argument you're making. when republicans talk about personal responsibility, when they talk about government get out of my business, let me do what i want to do, don't tread on me, that leads to the concept of decriminalization, let me do what i want to do when i'm at home. the modern republican coalition really relies on the sort of values voters, christian right folks, and that makes it difficult to move forward in terms of abortion and gay rights. if they were to follow libertarians and move forward

into the realm of decriminalization, then they would be challenging some of their base to go with them. >> where else are they going to go? the fact is if the future leaders of republican party embrace marijuana, these older white voters are not going to vote democratic. >> no, but they stay home is the thing. >> i don't think it's going to demotivate them that they'll stay home. i argue in this piece that there's an opening for it with republicans because it fits into their economic narrative of letting free markets reign and it can create about 100,000 jobs and also it can give them an opening on racial sensitivity because this is a racial justice issue and rand paul who has been a leader mentioned this earlier in this year when on "meet the press," he said marijuana could have ruined president obama or president bush or even president

clinton's life if they were prosecuted or arrested for it the same way that many black and brown men are disproportionately arrested and prosecuted and thrown in prison for it -- >> look, rand paul talked about that and likened parts of the war on drugs to jim crow. he's done that as you mentioned not only on "meet the press" and in congressional testimony and legislation on the punishment side and it's an interesting area to watch. but changing the punishment on the war on drugs is different from what your article proposes which is republicans actually getting down with pot in a complete embrace. so i like the idea but i don't actually think your article had of evidence. if you look to the bill that's in congress on this right now, the ending federal marijuana prohibition act, it's got about 17 people backing it in the house but only one is a republican. so what do you say to that? >> my article is free consulting

to the gop because we have not seen necessarily a critical mass of democrats step up. queef g we've got a lot of feedback. marijuana is not a priority right now. the president said quote me a bigger fish to fry. tell that to the 22-year-old in jail or can't get a job because his criminal record bars him from getting hired because he was thrown in for a little recreational use of marijuana. tell that to me as a taxpayer, i'm tired of paying -- >> time talking about specifically the lack of support from elected republicans. >> i think there's -- by the way, the virginia candidate on the libertarian side won 15% of the youth vote because he supported both marriage equality and marijuana legalization. if they get more power, they are by all means hopefully going to force the hand of more mainstream republicans to

embrace it and hopefully you'll see democrats catch on quickly and this won't become an elevated issue to the front burner as opposed to the back burner. >> i love that description, free consulting to the republican party. going back to millenials, we know there's a gap with two thirds supporting and it's similar to the gap with parties. you have 35% of republicans, only that support legalized marijuana versus 65% of democrats. let's just play this out and say republicans do begin to evolve on this issue, follow rand paul's lead. do you think this issue alone will be enough to persuade mi millenials? it's an important issue. i think marijuana is a substance that more and more young people experiment with in an early stage in their life, even though use is down. they don't want to necessarily

be arrested for it especially when they are reading statistics that it's safer than alcohol and tobacco. it won't be the first jobs and student loan debt and couple of other things will be first. it's important nevertheless. >> and they are using it a lot less, 20% from 1985? >> matt, i love the little card at the bottom of your card the most dangerous part of smoking marijuana is if you get caught with it. >> always happy to talk about weed, guys. >> have a happy thanksgiving. could you be next luke skywalker or princess leah? we have someone who thinks this will ruin the next film. ♪ [ male announcer ] new vicks dayquil severe. helps relieve your ugliest, nastiest, roughest, toughest cold symptoms. new dayquil severe.

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you're talking to the guy who hasn't approved a new stapler purchase in three years. but then i saw the new windows tablet, with a real keyboard, usb port, and full office. it's a tablet that works for work. plus, it's got apps and games, for after hours, of course. compared to an ipad -- way more value. these tablets are such a steal; i couldn't find a reason not to buy them. ♪ honestly, i wanna see you be brave ♪ a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms.

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theaters in 2015. director j.j. abrams was brought into helm the new movie and last week announced that r 2d 2 would return and negotiating with c3po's agent. it does not mean you cannot get a role. a casting call has gone out for major characters and fans have flocked to tryout. there's still a chance i could be cast as princess leah. tell us about all of the craziness. >> it was fascinating. i think the way they put this audition together probably boding poorly for the future of the franchise. it was odd. i got there at 11:00 in the morning and there was an unofficial line in the hotel and people had been standing there for three hours, they came from san antonio, albuquerque,

sacramento. they shuffled into the huge ball room, there for a couple of hours and shuffled into another ballroom and everyone parades past the casting director maybe or three people to write down their e-mail addresses. it was very weird. it was a whole bunch of hurry up and wait unusual -- >> sounds bogus to me. >> a little bit. some of the people i talked to were sort -- >> aww, look at that, ari! look at that! we're a team. i get to be the big guy. i love it. thanks, steve. >> so this is as good a time as any to change the subject. >> indeed. >> let's take a look, actually, at what snl thought many years ago about "star wars" tryouts. >> jack lemon, chewbacca screen test. >> excuse me. before we put the spaghetti in the machine, can somebody tell me what the hell one of these

chewbacca things is. >> he's a wachov wooki, jack. >> you have me drive from beverly hills to play a [ bleep ] space ape? >> that's kevin spacey's take on a similar problem you were describing, which is casting is hard, especially for this fantasy. and it doesn't sound like a lot of people are going to fit. >> there you go, r2-d2. that's more my style. that's what i want to play. >> tough role. that's tough shoes to fill. >> look, betsy. you know, ari has got his fantasy thing going on. i read your story. i don't know why you're so nervous. we are so far away from this thing being released. you seem certain that disney will be the ruination of "star wars." disney took over pixar, pixar is still making movies. and they have jj abrams at the

helm. i can't think of anybody in hollywood better to make the next "star wars" movie we need. why are you so nervous? >> you know, we get the "star wars" movie we deserve. and god bless jj abrams, i hope he nails it. i hope i'm totally wrong. but first the fact that they're making a seventh "star wars" strikes me as sacrilegious. i can't be at peace with it. >> come on. it's a product. of course they can make another movie. >> no, it's not just a product. it's a story. >> it's not a religion. >> okay. depending on who you're talking to. >> krystal ball as princess laya. >> i think your tune might change if you get a role in the movie. >> call me, disney. we can talk. >> all right. betsy, thank you so much. we appreciate it. up next, the critical election that happened this week, and will impact millions around the world. didn't you hear about it? don't worry, krystal ball will fill us all in next. i couldn't wait to see her again.

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this week, there was a critical secret election, and the results of this election will have wide-ranging domestic and international consequences. it will directly impact the lives of millions and affect billions. what election, say you? >> well, here it is. on monday, walmart elected a new ceo. well, it be clear, the board of directors at walmart elected a new ceo. something tells me that the workers on whom walmart depends to earn its vast profits might have selected someone different. but the board picked young up and comer named doug mcmillan.

why is this so important? well, walmart is the single-largest private employer in america. so as the walmart worker goes, so goes america. unfortunately, things ain't going so hot for the walmart worker. in fact, the average walmart employee makes only $8.81 per hour. and walmart pays its employees so little that taxpayers must subsidize walmart wages by about $1 million per super center. taxpayers foot the bill, so walmart can can underpay its work force. and walmart's massive size has huge ripple effects across our economy. one study found that walmart's presidents meant low wages for all retail workers in the region. walmart's existing corporate strategy is to pay the lowest wages possible in order to charge the lowest prices possible. and since their wages are so low, those workers can only afford to shop at walmart, leading to a downward spiral in which the whole country suffers. but call me crazy, i have high

hopes for walmart's new ceo, doug mcmillan to right the ship. sure, he's currently the head of walmart international, a division that's been beset by charges of massive and aggressive corruption in mexico. but, hey, that was before doug's time there. and sure, under doug's watch, walmart blocked key safety precautions in bangladesh and then refused to compensate victims manufacturing walmart clothes in the unsafe conditions that walmart insisted on. but, you know, nobody is perfect. all right. so maybe appealing to doug's heart strings is not the way to go. instead, let me speak to doug in terms he's more likely to understand. the bottom line. there is a limit to walmart's low wage, low price downward spiral strategy, and we seem to be approaching that limit. bloomberg news has already reported that walmart's refusal to hire workers and treat them decently has led to deteriorating conditions at their u.s. stores with frustrated shoppers and poorly

stocked shelves. walmart's u.s. stores are suffering with declining sales. and walmart is forecasting a flat holiday season. doug should also be pretty concerned that at some point people are not going to be super psyched about christmas shopping in a place that hardly embraces the holiday spirit. the national labor relations board recent finding that walmart fired and harassed workers trying to stand up for themselves, it doesn't exactly make me or anyone else for that matter want to denyick the hall with walmart holly. so, yeah, i do have high hopes for doug. not because i think he's going to have an ebenezer scrooge like christmas morning pro worker conversion. but because i think we can convince him that treating workers well is good business. just to be sure he gets my message, though, i will be supporting walmart workers this week at a d.c. area black friday protest. we will have coverage from that event next week here on "the cycle. "and i hope you will consider welcoming doug, supporting walmart workers and supporting working people everywhere by doing the same. all right.

that does it for "the cycle." joy reid is in for martin. and joy, it is all yours. >> all good stuff, krystal. let's hang out. >> i'll come over. >> sounds good. good afternoon, it is wednesday, november 27th. and on this thanksgiving eve, pardon our interruption. thanksgiving might be the best holiday we have here in america. >> house full of people. everybody getting along. >> 43 million of you are hitting the road for thanksgiving. >> by mistake, i had picked up the wrong family at the airport. >> gosh, i hope you have a sandwich or a pillow or something. >> top ten things to look for now. >> got over 34, the biggest balloons, like snoopy, will be grounded. >> for example, speaker of the house, john boehner. >> yes w he decided to fix the broken health care system, when they prepare the turkey at his house. >> republicans see the health care law as the gift that keeps on giving. >> they know it's done when it's the same color as his face.